Generally, as a monitoring camera is utilized for a long term since it is installed, it is required that its maintenance work is continued to be easily executed even if a person in charge of management is changed. Heretofore, network cameras coupled to a network and a camera management device that detects the network cameras on the network and can set, control the detected cameras and instruct to display an image are disclosed.
For example, the camera management device can set a network address and an identifier of the network camera. The camera management device can discriminate the network camera detected on the network by its identifier. Further, the camera management device can also control orientation in which the network camera projects an image.
When multiple network cameras are installed and are managed, it is difficult to judge a location projected by a certain camera out of plural images transmitted from the network cameras if no special clue is given. Then, to recognize the location the image of which is projected, for example, it is required to store an installation location of the network camera and an identifier of the network camera in a state in which they are correlated. In this case, it is required to continuously maintain the correlation and to succeed the correlation when a person in charge of management is changed.
In the meantime, in JP-A No. 2003-179910, an installation location of a camera can be recognized based upon an image from the camera to which an identifier of the installation location as an identifier of the camera is granted by synthesizing the image projected by the monitoring camera and the identifier of the camera using a character synthesizer to enable identifying the installation location of the monitoring camera. Further, as technique for directing by gesture toward a camera, technique for operating a video game console by gesture recognition based upon an image projected by a CCD camera without using an input unit such as a keypad is disclosed in JP-A No. 2001-246161.
Heretofore, when a network camera is controlled, a camera management device is required. Further, to control a specific network camera, the network camera is required to be identified on the camera management device.
For example, when multiple network cameras installed in various locations are managed, a person in charge of management visits an installation location of the individual network camera for maintenance work. However, even if the network camera located in front of the person in charge of management is to be controlled, it is required that the person waves his/her hand toward the camera because the network camera is required to be identified on the camera management device, verifies an image on which he/she himself/herself waves the hand out of multiple images projected on the camera management device and identifies which network camera on the camera management device the network camera in front is equivalent to.
Further, when the camera management device and the network camera are located in separate locations and it is difficult to carry the camera management device, it is difficult to identify the object network camera on the camera management device because the person in charge of management cannot verify the images on the camera management device even if the person waves the hand toward the object network camera as described above.
Further, for the network camera to recognize gesture such as waving a hand by the person in charge of management and to control itself, it is required that the network camera is provided with a gesture recognition function and a problem occurs that a cost of the network camera is increased.